Cancer follow-up checks 'could save lives'

THE lives of three-in-10 bowel cancer patients could be saved if the government invested in follow-up checks, say Manchester researchers. Research at the Christie Hospital has exposed how patients are slipping through the net as there isn't an established follow up system for hospitals in Britain.

THE lives of three-in-10 bowel cancer patients could be saved if the government invested in follow-up checks, say Manchester researchers.

Research at the Christie Hospital has exposed how patients are slipping through the net as there isn't an established follow up system for hospitals in Britain.

The study found that 30 per cent of bowel cancer patients are haunted by a relapse or secondary cancers - but because hospitals don't do regular check-ups for five years after surgery, symptoms are going undiagnosed until it is often too late.

Senior Research Fellow in Surgery, Dr Andrew Renehan, now wants the government to invest more than £1m in an intensive follow-up process up to five years after the cancer is diagnosed.

He has calculated that keeping tabs on the health of every 100 bowel cancer patients would save an extra seven lives by detecting any new cancer early.

Guidelines

But he suspects the number could be as high as three in 10, because 30 per cent of patients have to face cancer again at some stage in their lives.

UK guidelines had previously said there was no evidence that an intensive follow-up could boost patients' survival rate, so it was "not worthwhile". But new research at the hospital has revealed that follow-up checks not only save lives, but it will save NHS cash in the long run.

When Dr Renehan looked at the treatment of 3,000 cancer patients worldwide, he found that it would cost £3,500 to do check-ups for five years on one patient - which was much cheaper than waiting until they had a secondary cancer, as this costs up to £15,000 a patient.

"By the time they have symptoms, it is sometimes too late to treat," he said. "If you take scans and do blood tests every six months, any relapse would be detected. A total of 30 per cent of bowel cancer patients experience a relapse - and that's 30 per cent potentially being missed.

"This study shows that better follow-up care is worthwhile and value for money. A patient will normally only receive follow-up care if they develop symptoms as this seems a less expensive approach. However, many patients who develop relapses still have expensive investigations and treatments, but sadly these may be too late."